Looking across the lagoon towards the Alps, Guardi captured the character of Venice as a City rising from the water. Rather than painting the splendours of Venice’s architecture, familiar in the work of Canaletto, he evoked everyday life in a sunit atmosphere.

This original and ambitious composition was painted for a British Grand Tourist towards the late 1750s when Guardi was first making his name as a view-painter. In painting this and other lagoon views he distinguished himself from Canaletto, and appealed to a different market amongst British visitors to Venice.

Provenance: Accepted by H.M. Govemment in liew of Inhentance Tax, and allocated to the Ashmolean Museum, 2013 Hybrid arrangement through Christie’s, with a grant from the Art Fund (with a contribution from the Wolfson Foundation) made possible by the legacy of Sir Denis Mahon, and contributions from and in memory of the late Jo Wilson, volunteer and Friend, the Sir Denis Mahon Charitable Trust, the Elias Ashmole Trust, Eileen Pirie and other private donors, 2013

Object description
Type: Easel painting
Location: Ashmolean Museum, Oxford
Material: Oil on canvas
Artist: Francesco Guardi (1712-1793)
Date: Unknown

Image Details
Date: 28 March 2024
Camera body: iPhone Xs
Lens: Wide Camera 26mm ƒ/1.8
Focal Length: 26mm
Aperture: ƒ/1.8
Shutter Speed: 1/50s
ISO: 320
Licensing: Image of an Ashmolean Museum asset. This image cannot be licensed.